How to Stop Birds Pooping on Your Car – 5 Safe Ways to Keep Them Away From Your Driveway

You thought you might have trouble with your job. You thought you might have issues with your mother-in-law. But you never imagined you might have to deal with birds pooping on your car.

Stop taking it personally! Your car isn't attracting birds, and birds aren't targeting you. Birds tend to poop wherever they are whenever nature calls. But you can get your car out of harm’s way with a few preventive measures.

Let's explore five ways to stop birds from pooping on cars parked in your driveway, so you can spend less time cleaning bird poop and more time enjoying your outdoor space. These simple changes can help reduce the chances of your car ending up beneath your neighborhood birds' favorite perches.

Why Do Birds Poop on My Car?

Whether you have a rusty old Volkswagen Vanagon or a shiny new Tesla, birds aren't picking your vehicle to dirty with their poop. In fact, it has very little to do with your car at all.

Birds have little control over when or where they poop. Most lack a bladder and a tight sphincter muscle, which means they can't hold back their waste. Instead, whenever the need arises, they simply defecate. If they feel the need as they soar over your patio, they poop on the patio. If they feel the need as they fly above your car, they poop on your car.

There is no one definitive way to prevent birds from pooping on your car. But you can do a number of things to reduce how often it happens. Here are my best tips.

1. Discourage Perching

Is your driveway shaded by trees? Are you parked beneath electric wires or phone cables? Are there streetlights right above your parking spot? Birds like to rest and congregate in these places. And when a group of birds sits above your car for periods of time, they are likely to poop… on your car.

If overhanging trees are the problem, then trimming the worst offending branches could make a big difference. A telescopic pruning pole, like Fiskars' Extendable 2-in-1 Tree Pruner & Pole Saw with Rotating Head, available on Amazon, extends up to 12 feet, enabling you to tackle branches that overhang the car. If you want to cut your neighbor's tree, then make sure you ask them first.

If there's a ledge or flat roof area near the car that birds like to perch on, then consider fitting bird spikes, like these Bird-X Bird Spikes from Lowe's. As threatening as their name sounds, bird spikes don't harm birds, but they do make it uncomfortable for them to land.

And keep bird feeders and bird baths well away from your driveway. The less attractive you make the area as a place to feed, drink, or perch, the less time birds are likely to spend above your car.

2. Don't Wax Your Car

If your car is shiny and waxed, it can reflect light and appear like a pool of water from above. Water has a relaxing effect on birds, so they may be attracted to it. In addition, during mating season, male birds can get territorial and mistake their mirrored reflection for a rival male. He might mark his territory by pooping on it.

If the idea of a dirty car is too much to bear, you can buy tough, washable car covers that you can hose down every week, like this EzyShade Car Cover on Amazon. It comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes and, in addition to stopping bird poop, will also protect against snow and dust.

3. Scare Them with Sparkle

This is an old trick, but it works like a charm. Dangle anything that could reflect sunlight near your parking spot. This might include old pie pans or CDs hung on strings, or even strips of aluminum foil. Moving, shiny objects reflect light and images, which can threaten birds and scare them away.

You can even buy reflective scare tape ribbon, like this one from MP Mypole Store on Amazon, and tie it around tree branches and other structures.

4. Use a Predator Decoy

Might a bird mistake a plastic replica of a bird of prey for a real owl? It's possible. A decoy predator placed on or near the car will certainly make birds think twice before flying over your car. The Dalen Lifelike Great Horned Owl Decoy Bird Repellent, available on Amazon, is well rated and doubles as a charming garden ornament.

A couple of rubber snakes draped across the car is another option that's easy to set up when you get home.

The trick to using predator decoys is to move them every day or two. Otherwise, the birds will soon realize it's a fake.

5. Rethink Your Car Color

Do birds deliberately poop on dark or brightly colored cars? It seems unlikely. A few small studies have suggested that black, brown, or red cars may attract more bird droppings than white or silver ones, but there's no solid evidence that birds deliberately target certain colors. As for why, it's mostly speculation. I'm not convinced, so I'd call changing your car color a last resort – if you get really desperate!

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